SMART OFFICE DESK INTERACTIVE WITH THE USER

• US 20160260019A1
• Filed: 03/03/2015
• Published: 09/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Pynk Systems, S.L.
• Original Assignee: Pynk Systems, S.L.
• Inventors: Riquelme Ruiz, Carlos, Mata Valdes, David
• Granted Patent: US 9,916,537 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 2021/0076 the screen being incorporated in the desk top
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 2097/006 Computer holding devices
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 21/007 with under-desk displays, e.g. displays being viewable through a transparent working surface of the table or desk
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 21/02 with vertical adjustable parts
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 2200/0043 Inclination adjustable work top
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 2200/0062 Electronically user-adaptable, height-adjustable desk or table
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 2200/0079 Conference or video conference table
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 2200/0097 Foot rest being part of desk
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 37/00 Tables adapted for other particular purposes glass cutting tables C03B33/03
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 9/00 Tables with tops of variable height lecterns with variable height A47B19/06; school forms or desks with variable height A47B39/02, A47B41/02; seats with variable height A47C3/20
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 91/02 Adjustable feet self-levelling A47B91/16
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 95/00 Fittings for furniture
• CPC Class Codes: A47B 97/00 Furniture or accessories for furniture, not provided for in other groups of this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/16 Constructional details or arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 20/00 Machine learning
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/045 Explanation of inference; Explainable artificial intelligence [XAI]; Interpretable artificial intelligence

Abstract

A smart office desk interactive with the user, defined on the basis of an individual work desk (M) and various hardware and software elements applied to it and whose main hardware components comprise a working desktop divided into two zones, one which can be raised at an angle, motor-driven legs which raise and lower the desktop, a footrest tray and a series of sensors integrated into the desktop structure and in the legs.

The smart office desk learns from the user by machine learning algorithms, and proposes physical actions in accordance with what has been learned. The table collects information from the user concerning their postures and working habits, using various physical sensors, and by their interactions with the software application displayed onscreen.

It is thus a table controlled by a computer system which receives data on the user and the working environment as inputs. The system'"'"'s outputs take the form of recommendations made to the user, automatic implementation of actions on them, and statistics the user can consult about their daily work.

Claims

1. A smart office desk interactive with the user, defined on the basis of an individual work desk (M) and several hardware and software elements applied to it, characterised because the hardware elements of the Smart Office Desk in the invention consist of the following:

a) A work desktop (1) divided into two zones;

an “

adaptive surface”

(1.1) comprising a desktop section of dimensions approximately 800×

600 mm facing the user, and operated by a linear actuator using a mechanism allowing its fixed angular elevation from the rear,

a general work surface (1.2),

And including the following elements;

motor-driven legs (1.7) which raise-lower the desktop (1) to different working heights,

A footrest tray (1.8), with different height and inclination possibilities.

b) A series of sensors integrated into the desktop structure and in the legs, particularly;

distance sensors (5),

presence sensors (6),

environmental noise sensors (7),

temperature sensors (8),

light sensors (9),

humidity sensors (10)

smoke-detector sensors (11),

IR barrier leg sensors (12),

radio-frequency receiver (NFC) (16),

a row of LEDs (17),

current and charge takeoffs (18),

a LED light-fitting (22) integrated into the desk.

c) A CPU unit with a built-in touch-screen (14) acting as an element of communication with the user, and with a vibrating notification system.

2. A smart office desk interactive with the user defined on the basis of an individual work desk (M) and various hardware and software elements applied to it, characterised because the hardware and software elements interact according to the following model:

g) A server system which contains the software that organises the communication between all the other systems and which receives, stores, analyses and processes the data from each work station.

h) An algorithmic system for decision-making and generating recommendations in real time using artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques.

k) An interactive software application enabling the user to access all the table'"'"'s functionalities and statistics.

3. A smart office desk interactive with the user defined on the basis of an individual work desk (M) and various hardware and software elements applied to it, pursuant to claim 2 and characterised because the server system g) implements the following architecture:

g.1. A mechanism to deliver and receive the data collected from the desk (M) to the servers, which operates as follows;

The microcontroller (15) used in the sensor system has software which provides a hardware abstraction layer (HAL) allowing the sensors to be started, consultation on their status and the disassociation of a given sensor from a high level, in terms of the multilayer architecture making up the technology of the table (M).

The software remains inactive, at rest, until the presence of an individual is detected at the position for use of the desk (M). At that point, the user measurement routine begins every given length of time.

g.2. A data processing mechanism which operates as follows;

The server system (20) processes the data gathered, and assigns them a single timestamp while linking those data to a single user known to the system.

g.3. A mechanism for delivery of actions from the servers (20) to the desk (M), which operates as follows;

When the system decides to run an action on the table (M), depending on the type of action, the server (20) in the cloud must deliver it to the microcontroller (15) or to the touch-screen (14) where the native application is found.

4. A smart office desk interactive with the user defined on the basis of an individual work desk (M) and various hardware and software elements applied to it, pursuant to claim 2 and characterised because in the server system g), the user'"'"'s interaction, for their identification, can be done in two ways:

firstly by manual session start, introducing username and password by the touch-screen.

the second is by identification using a near-field communication card (NFC) where the session is started with a card read by a reader connected to the microcontroller (15) which undertakes to communicate both to the Server system (20) via the Internet and to the tactile device at the post by Bluetooth.

These measurements are communicated to the server system housed in the cloud (21) using the REST (“

Representational State Transfer”

) protocol.

5. A smart office desk interactive with the user defined on the basis of an individual work desk (M) and various hardware and software elements applied to it, pursuant to claim 2 and characterised because the learning system consists of an algorithmic system for decision-making and for generating recommendations in real time using artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques where the system learns from the users, summarising the activities and patterns of each using a statistical model which is stored and constantly updated over time.

6. A smart office desk interactive with the user defined on the basis of an individual work desk (M) and various hardware and software elements applied to it, pursuant to claim 2 and characterised because the interactive software application allows the user to access all the table'"'"'s functionalities and statistics and enables the system to transmit to the user in real time its recommendations and the various events in their schedule. Should the events involve a change in the physical system of the desk (M), the interactive application communicates by Bluetooth with the microcontroller (15) which handles the physical controllers.

7. A smart office desk interactive with the user defined on the basis of an individual work desk (M) and various hardware and software elements applied to it, pursuant to claim 4 and characterised because the daily work programmes are generated according to the following parameters:

in the first place, the events on the user'"'"'s agenda and other of their job planning resources occurring away from the workdesk,

secondly, expert Ergonomics rules of know-how are introduced,

thirdly, the particular statistical model representing the user, along with all the earlier information and learning generated or implemented in previous interactions.

The programme is updated as it is run, according to the user'"'"'s conduct.

8. A smart office desk interactive with the user defined on the basis of an individual work desk (M) and various hardware and software elements applied to it, pursuant to claim 2 and characterised because, in the desk algorithmic system for learning and the recommendations of collaboration system, the desk and its sensors are the instrument the system uses to track and gather data continuously and precisely, and an office with various desks means that the data stored will be more comprehensive and powerful.

9. A smart office desk interactive with the user defined on the basis of an individual work desk (M) and various hardware and software elements applied to it, pursuant to claim 2 and 8 and characterised because the system is able to learn metrics on user communication, pairwise collaboration and team work as each desk has presence sensors and an NFC sensor, enabling the system to trace the approximate routes taken daily by the users in the office, so that statistical models can be used to interpret the level of communication among users.

10. A smart office desk interactive with the user defined on the basis of an individual work desk (M) and various hardware and software elements applied to it, pursuant to claim 2, 8 and 9 and characterised because the system uses clustering algorithms based on graphs with weights together with calendar and meetings information to propose daily where it would be useful for each user to sit.